Combined spring and friction draft-gear.



W. DE G. WILGOX. 'COMBINED SPRING AND PRIGTION DRAFT GEAR. APPLICATION FILED JULY 5, 1907. BBNEWED FEB.11, 1909.

9 82,2 l 5 l Patented Aug. 24, 1909.

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' -Application leduly l5 1901, Serial No. 382,233.

Specification of Letters. Patent'.

Renewed February 11, 191119. Serial No. 477,452.

This invention relates incre particularly.

to e, draft gear for use on-rsilwe-y cors in connection'with the drow bor of e coupling.

The object of the present invention is to provide mechanism adopted to 'cushion the dreit bei' When shocks imparted thereto in either direction.

A ini-tirer object oi the invention is to combine the entire mechanism into en integral structure adapted to be nositioned end secured beneath the body or" the cer Without dilliculty and Without the necessity tor buildtlie structure into Vthe cnr.

A further object of the invention is to so err-enge the ,spring mechanism that a Inoxinnnn or; eiciency will be secured in e mini muni of space and so that the spring action will be equally distributed throughontthe entire cushion and uniformly exerted et all points thereof.

The invention relates to the device es s Whole end to the incthod of mounting end securing` it benen-th the cer body7 and to the features of consi'vruction :rnd combination oi ports hereinafter described end clnirned.

ln the drawings, Figure 1 is e side elevetion of the drnlt gear of the v'present invention, with the droit ber und coupling heard `secured thereto Fig. 2 e cross sectional view of the seine, somewhat enlarged, token on line 2 2 of Fig. 1; Fig'. 3 e. sectional )lon View of the draft gear uncompressed; Fig. 4 e similar View showing the draft gear conipressed by e forward pull or tension on the draft ber g Fig. 5 e cross sectional View of the droit gear in normal position; Fig, e simiv ler view slnwing the ports in compressed osition' Fi 7 e. )len View of one of' the p 1 i l Wedge caps; Fig. 8 e, plan view 01"' one of the friction blocks; Fig. 9 en end View of 'the seine; and Fig. l() n side elevation ofl the saine. Y t

The draft genrcoinprises e substantially rectangular ,casing 11, provided in itsends with vertically elongated openings 12, for the proiection'therethrough of Wedge cops 13. Enclrof the wedge cons comprises e rectnngw los heed 1liA and en, inwoizdly tapering body portion best shown in Fig. 7. The Wedge shapedv body portion is cut away to provide e central recess 16, on eech side et which are' converging ribs 17, one on each side of the wedge ccp; The wedge oeps cre designedy to i cooperate with pair of friction blocks 18, enen oi which. comprises e bese lote 19, flet on its Aunder fece, which base p. ete `has upwardly extending along each' side 'thereof e Wall having s flotte@ fece 21 and sloping end feces Z2-eeen of which is provided With e groove or channel 23, adapted' to 4cooperate with Vone of the sloping ribs 17 oi the Wedge can. The space 24' intermediate the sloping; Wells. is of concave fermationnndis bridged, in its center, by e.. cross rib 25, the sidewalls being;` cnt to provide recesses 26 in register' width the rib 25, which arrangement provides, in effect, e... transversely extending` socket which is adopted to receive a square hollow lrey 27 Which, when the parts are assembled, williextend vertically through the bogrlike casing and betweeny the friction blocks, which, when. in normal position, lie in contact vvith one-another. The hollows 24 are of substantially semifcylindricel formation, so that when the two cooperating' friction blocks `are placed in register with one another e' pair of substantially cylindrical'recessesor chambers will be afforded, one en each side vo' the di.- viding rib or ridge which chambers are adapted to receive e pair of coil springs 2,8, the inner ends of which filent against circuler disk Washers 29, each of Which is provided on its inner tace with e. stud 30, which is entered into the adjacent-Woll of the square key ban' 2.7, and each of the Washers is provided, on its outer surface, with e boss 31, which is surrounded by the inner end of a coil spring. The enter ends of the coil s rings pese through the recesses or lioles 16 etween the tapered sides of the Wedge ce s, and' the end of each spring abnts against the heed 14 of the Wedge cop, the grooves of which will, when the ports. are assembled, enter. the correspondingchannelsof tlie friction blocks.

Between cach of the tiet outer feces of the wedge blocks andy the ediecent Woll.y of the casing ere interposed e plnrzrlity oiconcevoconvex spring lates. 32,.wlnch extend frein endto end of t e bei; or cesing'end are posi: tion/edwith their conveXsides-to. the conter, the innermost one ofthe nietes, being in conltiret with the tiet sin f e off the adjacent friction. bloeit.,

Entente@ Ang. :22s, itbt e inner fece of ing against the Wedge caps, substantially :is normaly extending outwardly from the ends 1Q descibed. o? the Casing and coperating with the frie- 4. A draft gear comprising a box shaped tion blocks, and spring mechanism beaing casing, friction blocks extending iongitudl-v egainst the wedge caps, substantially as de,

5 nally of the casing, plate springs concave-1. sefibed. convex in cross section and extending 10ngi-" f' WLLS DE GRGFF WLCX. tudinally of the casing Asmd-interposed be- LWitmasses: tween the fric-tion blocks and the adjacent SAMUEL W. BANNING, side walls of the easing, a pair ofiwyedge ca'ps WALKER BANNING 

